Nerf - empowered by imec, KU Leuven and VIB

We’re ready for the official launch of NERF’s new Neurophysiology Expertise Unit, opening up our advanced in vivo neural activity measurement capabilities to the broader neuroscience community. Led by experts Asli Ayaz and çağatay aydın, this unit brings you state-of-the-art tools and knowhow for monitoring and manipulating brain circuits: from in vivo neural activity measurement, to circuit manipulation, and behavioral assays. Interested in collaborating or learning more? Reach out to Cagatay or Asli, or visit the Neurophysiology Expertise Unit website. 👇 https://lnkd.in/eeXjA-3r

Congratulations to Dr. Théo Lambert on successfully defending his PhD last Friday! 🎓 🎉 Théo developed new AI-based methods for faster and automated analysis of 2D/3D-fUS imaging data. We are incredibly proud of his accomplishments! Congrats again to Théo, and to proud supervisor Alan Urban and the rest of the Urban lab. We’d also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the PhD jury, Johan Suykens, Matthew Blaschko, Annelies Bronckaers and Philipp Boehm-Sturm for their time, expertise, and insightful feedback.

Very exciting to join the Electrophysiological Signatures workshop organised together with the #BrainMosaic24 conference. I'd like to express a big thank you to çağatay aydın, Asli Ayaz, Kacper Kondrakiewicz, PhD and Shahriar Hosseinjany for sharing your knowledge, insights and hands-on with all participants. For reference, our course announcement: https://lnkd.in/ewD35TpF Link to materials: https://lnkd.in/ecKAtYR9 #training #technology #electrophysiology #neuropixels VIB Nerf - empowered by imec, KU Leuven and VIB

👋 Hi from #SfN24 in Chicago!

How can axons circumvent an irreversible energy crisis? 🪫 In a close collaboration between the labs of Karl Farrow (he/him) at NERF and of Lieve Moons and Lies De Groef at the KU Leuven Department of Biology, Luca Masin et al. shed new light on the metabolic mechanisms underlying axonal regeneration. "Axonal regeneration from injury requires effective energy allocation. However, it’s been unclear how axons manage to start growing again after their usual energy production from mitochondria is disrupted by the injury." In this new study, the team found that deletion of two specific genes in retinal neurons led cells to switch from mitochondrial metabolism to local glycolysis. This shift allowed the neurons to regenerate more effectively. The findings were published in JCB last week and highlight how glycolytic ATP, along with continued mitochondrial transport, are crucial for the regeneration process. Congratulations to all authors! 👏

It's moving week! 📦 All teams are working hard to move heavy items up the hill to our new lab space. 💪

We had busy few weeks! Packing our equipment at Nerf - empowered by imec, KU Leuven and VIB and shipping to RIKEN Center for Brain Science. Grateful for awesome opportunities and colleagues during the 8 years. VERY excited for the new journey ahead!

Empty lab space, hallways full of boxes... 📦 Over the next few weeks, all of NERF's labs will be relocating from the imec campus to our brand new research space at Campus Gasthuisberg, just a few hundred meters away. During the first ten years of NERF's existence, our presence at the imec campus has helped us to connect our system neuroscience research with the advanced technology options at imec. “Imec and NERF have a strong partnership,” says Sebastian Haesler. “On the one hand, imec’s technological research can help us try to unravel the mystery of the human brain. On the other hand, our insights into how the brain operates are essential for imec’s life sciences and health-related research.” “After incubating at imec for ten years, we are now ready to move on without losing the strong connection we have. The personal relationships that we built really make things possible. Our collaboration has already resulted in successful projects like the Neuropixels project and will continue to do so.” By moving to Gasthuisberg, we will be physically closer to the biomedical research campus and our colleagues from the VIB-KU Leuven Center For Brain & Disease Research. "We're looking forward to strengthening our ties with the neuroscience and biomedical community at KU Leuven's Gasthuisberg campus." 👋 Come and say hi to us over in our new labs in O&N5b (but perhaps give us a bit of time to unpack! ;-) )

📣 New study links premature development of human neurons to brain developmental disorders It's the latest in a series of captivating results from the ongoing collaboration between the Bonin lab at NERF and the Vanderhaeghen lab at the VIB-KU Leuven Center For Brain & Disease Research. Ben Vermaercke, Iwata Ryohei and the rest of the team uncovered that SYNGAP-1 deficient neurons mature prematurely, integrate faster into cortical circuits, and respond to visual stimuli months ahead of the normal developmental schedule, indicating that the faster maturation of the neurons led to precocious functionality of the neurons within brain circuits. The new findings were only possible thanks to the use of pioneering xenotransplantation models. 🐁 🧠 Congratulations to the entire team! 🙌 Read more in 👇 🔔 our news flash: https://lnkd.in/dXT3qjmZ 📄 the paper itself: https://lnkd.in/dPKu2U8r 🗞 De Morgen (in Dutch): https://lnkd.in/dmAw2y92

We are heading to the Annual Japanese Neuroscience meeting to showcase our work!